Weddings in Stung Treng 2011

On the 29th was the Royal Wedding in the UK and although I don't have a telly, I heard all about it from the other volunteers because it was in the media non stop for weeks.
The Phnom Penh VSO volunteers sent an e-mail around to invite to a Royal Wedding party and it said they even invited the British Ambassador (which was a joke I found out later).
Us in Stung Treng then thought, we also should have a Royal Wedding party as it is such a big event! So Linda prepared her House, Anthony prepared a special Royal Wedding Pup Quiz and I provided the prize. Everyone brought snacks and beer and then we dressed all up for the special occasion and hung in front of the telly, admiring the brides dress and getting an English atmosphere here in Stung Treng.

did they kiss already?

Good afternoon Kate and Will!

I heard that all the other provinces also did Royal Wedding parties.

Angela, Ant, Thea, Carol, Maria, Linda, Wendy and Chris

... two massive wooden thai massage sticks!

and the winner of the pub quiz gets...

Well done, Carol!

The other good news is, that I had a successful Skype-interview with Oxford Brookes University and they accepted me for doing the short midwifery course starting in September. I was overwhelmed with joy! I am going to become a midwife!!!

Kerb is one of the experienced Dolphin Boys

At the same weekend, Abi asked me to come to Kratie to help her to take pictures of the 'Kratie Dolphin Boys' as she was allocated to be the official Dolphin-Boy calendar 2012 photographer. Of course I didn't say no! What an opportunity! It was fantastic!
First of all I love to stay with Abi as she is a great friend of me and it's always like holiday being with her. Then she has Rock Lobster, who was born in my room in Stung Treng!

Abi and I trying out the camera

with Rock Lobster

georgous girls

All the photos we took I can't show now and they will be released in the next years calender which will be available at the end of this year. But I can show some impressions from the great afternoon we had at Kampi with the very fit and hot Kratie Dolphin Boys.

aehm, these Tuk-Tuk drivers didn't make it onto the calendar, sorry...

waiting in the warm clear water..

feeling hot hot hot...

Huk is also an experienced Dolphin Boy and has done it many times before

handsome Huk

Beer really helped us and the boys for some really good shots

getting into the mood

Joe gives Hukki some advise on his pose

the Kampi-rapids were very fast

the money from this calendar goes to support the remaining dolphins in Kratie

the dolphin boy and his mermaid

last check in the mirrow

waiting for their turn

handsome Dara

I'm doing some spritz effect for the photo

with Kerb, Abi and Joe in the Tuk-Tuk

And finally, on the 7th of May was the day, my Cambodian family had waited for a long long time for. It was the wedding day of my oldest Cambodian sister Peach.

Peach on her wedding day

It was an arranged wedding and the deal was made shortly after her birth. She was going to marry Andy, a man her same age (21), who grew up in America after his parents managed to flew from Cambodia before the Pol Pot invasion in 1975.

He said to me: "Next time I am going to have an American wedding."

He can hardly speak any Cambodian and everything was very strange for him here. His family felt pity with my family but somehow on the actual wedding day everybody was very happy.

Tida and her friend.

We all got white make-up on to make us look more sa-at.

Look at these fake eyelashes!

my special made wedding top cost $50!

Poor Rith had to cook for all the guests behind the house.

a last quick shoes polish...

Everything started very early of course, that is the annoying thing about Cambodian weddings. At 4 am the monks start chanting through loudspeakers so that the whole town can hear it. The happy couple then gives promises back and forth over the microphone that everyone can hear it. Then everyone gets ready for the first ceremony outside.

Both families walking towards each other and they exchange flower necklaces.

They were wearing traditional costumes for each procedure. All day was into the clothes, out of them, in, out, in, out... Fascinating.

proud Vandy and Papa

Then the first official photo shoot and the present exchanging with the parents.

both twin sisters, Andy and I

lots of funny looking wedding presents

Until we finally had BorBor (Rice soup) at around 9am.

Then we witnessed the haircutting ceremony where hair got cut off symbolically and then given to the good spirits.

the proud parents

the stunning bride this time in pink

looking from below and from above

Peach and Andy

with Nana and Touch, the sister of the bride

lots of clothes, what choice!

Then came the procedure where the bride washes the feet of her husband.

the groom with his best men waiting for the bride to wash his feet

it was very hot all day...

Then something like a knife dance was performed.

this is David, our happy restaurant baby

Andy and Peach, the happy couple.

And then the morning was finished and everyone had a rest. In the afternoon, we were all busy to get ready for the fun part of the wedding, the party in the evening!

under my room

Vandy and her sister getting make-up

Peach with her final? hairdress

waiting for the guests to arrive

Vandy looked amazing that day

Beautiful Rek-Smey and I

Nana liked Rek-smey

and another one of Nana and me

Peach and me in her welcoming dress for the guests

And finally at around 7pm, my friends arrived and we all sat around one table and ate and drank and talked and danced as well.

Caro, Pauline und ich

Angela trying to eat her chicken drum with spoon and chopsticks

the old man from next door

They both looked very happy at the end of the day.

good posing!

oh they had fun with each other

Nana and I

the pink ladies

After the food, the happy couple went to the fruit table to do one last ceremony - feeding each other and the parents fruit, before the party exploded!